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May 16, 2011

Schadenfreude 109 (A Continuing Series)

The drama surrounding Jorge Posada was a 24-hour distraction from the real crisis the Yankees are dealing with -- they have lost a season-high five in a row and seemingly can't do anything right.

The Red Sox completed a sweep at Yankee Stadium last night, sending the Yankees to a 7-5 loss that featured another brutal error, failure in the clutch and more uninspired play.

A crowd of 46,945 witnessed another dismal outing by the $207 million club that has lost nine of its last 12 and 12 of its last 20. The Yankees now have one more win than the Mets, and the Red Sox are just one game behind them in the AL East. ...

Is this 1-5 homestand rock bottom or a true representation of this team? ...

The Yankees now have 13 errors in their last 10 games ... Swisher is now 0-for-17 with two outs and runners in scoring position, the worst in the majors. ... Boston has beaten the Yankees five of the six times they have met this year. This is the first time the Yankees have lost five in a row in two years. ...

[A]s successful as the Yankees were at executing Public Relations 101 yesterday, the underlying problems that caused the rift persist: Posada's poor offense, the abundance of aging/declining legends and a roster that has betrayed significant flaws.

So the embers to ignite a new blaze still burn, ready to spark anew if Posada cannot lift his average or if, say, Derek Jeter must fall in the lineup (he's slumping again, with three singles in his last 23 at-bats) ...

It means we are going to find out an awful lot about the mental fortitude of this clubhouse and also about Girardi's skills in navigating what projects to be his most combustible issue as the Yankees skipper. ...

Girardi cannot peer into one of those big binders he loves for clues on how to walk the fine line between honoring his win-now job description while not disrespecting a group that has helped bring so much winning to the franchise. That is a difficult double for a manager who is not a master of inter-personal relations. ...

There remains a bubbling lack of trust between Posada and his manager, a growing unease between the players and Cashman's front office. ... One day of good public relations work does not cure this whole patient.